2 Injured In Boat Blaze

DIGEST

FORT LAUDERDALE - — A 3-year-old girl and her aunt were in serious condition on Thursday after gasoline fumes ignited, causing an explosion and flash fire in the boat they were on, firefighters said.

The 1972 28-foot Allman fiberglass boat with two inboard engines had just been filled with 16 gallons of gas. Tiffany Manresa, 3, of Key Largo, and Lissette Ruiz, 31, of Plantation Key, were in the boat's cabin when Ruiz turned off the air conditioning. That produced an electrical arc that ignited the gasoline fumes about 11:45 a.m., blowing off the cabin's hatch, fire Battalion Chief Steve McInerny said.

The boat, docked in a canal behind 1350 River Reach Drive, had rotted fuel lines and a corroded filter valve, which allowed the fumes to escape, McInerny said.

An on-board fire extinguishing system put out the fire by the time firefighters arrived and disconnected the batteries and fuel line.

Tiffany received second-degree burns over 30 percent of her body,. Ruiz' burns covered 35 percent of her body. Both were taken to Broward General Medical Center, where Tiffany was later flown to the Jackson Memorial Hospital burn unit in Miami, McInerny said.